The Enchanted Forest
by danomesser
Summary: Regina and Henry follow Snow and Emma to the Enchanted Forest to save them from the evil clutches of Cora. Will they meet a certain thief or an old friend?


The Enchanted Forest

It had been weeks since Emma had saved Regina from the Wraith and fallen through the portal to the Enchanted Forest. Many people were starting to lose hope of finding a way to get Snow and Emma back.

Unfortunately, Charming's attempt failed and he was lying motionless in a coma like state. The sleeping curse, until Snow's return. Regina felt guilty about how Emma sacrificed herself so that Regina didn't fall through the portal. And Henry could see that. Charming had been asleep for days and they were not getting any closer to finding the answer. Regina and Henry were sitting in Gold's shop looking at books and testing magical objects without luck. At realising this Regina finished scanning through the book that she was reading and threw it across the room until it hit a wall. She sighed as if she was defeated and had given up.

Henry looked up at his mother and gave her shoulder a light squeeze of reassurance. "Don't worry mom, we will find them and get them back. It's not your fault."

"You've been spending a lot of time with your grandparents, this sounds like one of Snow's hope speeches. Anyway how can you be so sure, portals are not easy to come by and Rumple is out of ideas?"

"This is really going to make me sound like Snow, but you have to have hope, mom." His eyes were just filled with hope of seeing his other mother and grandmother again. "You should take a break, you've barely looked up from that book. Do you want to go for a short walk to clear our heads?" Henry beamed.

Regina smiled back. "That sounds nice." They were out for ten minutes and when they returned there was a mirror the Gold had moved into sight that looked familiar. They both noticed it and as Henry saw it as the best way to reunite his family again, he ran to it. Not realising the box in his way, and he tripped. He knocked the mirror on to the ground activating the portal, Henry was sucked into it instantly as there was nothing for him to hold on to. Regina jumped into the portal seconds behind Henry, not wanting him to be in an unfamiliar realm with no one else he knew and no protection.

They landed in a familiar land to Regina.

"Where are we?"

"Henry, if you turn around, you won't need an answer." She stated.

They were standing in the middle of a maze with giant chess pieces around them. The land the mirror took her mother to all those years ago. WONDERLAND.

They both picked themselves off the ground and were swarmed with guards. Too many for Regina to fight alone, so she decided it was best to cooperate and hope this queen was nothing like her or her mother.

"Where are we going?" Henry whispered, clearly frightened at their situation.

"To the queen" she whispered back and at that moment she knew if the queen was ruthless that they would be dead so she acted on her instincts.

Her wrists were bound, as she was seen as a threat, whereas Henry was a defenceless little boy. She started to slowly burn the ropes until she was able to break free. Once she was free she created a blast that knocked over all of the guards and they began to run, only to be cut short a few seconds later. A figure appeared in front of them in a puff off red smoke.

"The Red Queen. If heard so much about you." Regina stated confidently, standing in front of her son. Once the smoke cleared Regina come see the woman's face much clearer.

"Regina"

"Ana" they said each other's names in unison. They laughed and hugged each other in a friendly way.

"It's been a long time, I would never have guessed that you would start out as a thief in this land and end up a queen." Regina said.

"I know, its crazy right. Anyway who's this young man?" Anastasia asked nodding to Henry.

"I'm Henry Mills." Henry stated proudly, which made Regina smile.

"Your son, I never thought you could ever get over Daniel." Anastasia said remembering how badly Regina reacted to his death.

"Slow down, I've stopped the whole Evil Queen thing, though I am still feared and hated in different realms, especially in Storybrooke. I assume you've heard from my mother, about my curse. Henry is my adopted son and ironically Snow's grandson."

"Doesn't that make you his step great-grandmother" Anastasia smirked.

"I'm trying to change, don't push it!" she said in her regal tone and they both burst out laughing.

"Anyway not that I haven't missed you, but what brings you two to Wonderland."

"We are trying to find a portal to the Enchanted Forest to find Snow and Emma, his biological mother. Rumplestiltskin marked me and sent a wraith after me." There was horror in Ana's eyes. "Yes, I know, I'm lucky to be alive. Emma helped me and we sent the wraith to another realm, the Enchanted Forest. Before the wraith went through it nearly got me, but Ms Swan pushed me out of the way and fell through. Snow jumped in after her not wanting to lose her again."

"Emma." Henry said.

"What?" Regina turned to look at him.

"It's Emma, she doesn't like Ms Swan very much."

"You're in luck, my magic is still red as are my clothes, but when Jafar was defeated Will and I got married and we're trying to change Wonderland for the better. The White Queen now." Regina offered her congratulations and Ana explained how she was now on better terms with the white rabbit, who can travel to different realms.

"We don't know how long we'll be so here." Regina broke her mirror in half and enchanted it so they had one each to contact Ana for a way home.

"Thanks Ana, you're a life saver."

This made the former red queen smile. "Follow me to my castle and I will send for the white rabbit." They did as they were asked and soon arrived in the castle. The white rabbit appeared in minutes of their arrival as if he knew he was needed.

"Oh, you mentioned Cora she went to the Enchanted Forest to find you and help you."

"Thanks, hopefully our paths won't cross." Regina sighed.

"Rabbit, take care of Regina and her son, she is a dear friend. Take them to the Enchanted Forest please."

He started work immediately and they were soon in the middle of the forest in the Enchanted Forest. "Thank you rabbit. I hope to have this pleasure again, Thank Anastasia for her help, thanks." Regina said and he hopped back through the portal to Wonderland.

Regina looked around trying to gather where in the Enchanted Forest they were. Regina could see her castle in the distance a short journey through the forest. She explained the plan to Henry.

"I still have something that belonged to Snow, do you have anything of Emma's?"

"Yeah." he pulled a keyring out of his pocket and Regina explained that they were going to her castle to get the ingredients needed for a locator spell and an object that belonged to Snow.

They started walking and Regina kept hearing strange sounds following them, she moved Henry on the other side of her away from the noises.

Then someone popped up from behind the bushes and shot an arrow that missed Regina and nearly hit Henry, but luckily Regina caught it in time. But she was angry.

Five more men popped up from behind the bushes and all aimed at Regina. At this Regina smiled at the challenge and stopped the arrows aimed at her chest in mid-air. They all then fell to the ground like useless twigs.

What Regina was unaware of was that one archer(their leader) was behind her aiming for her heart, but as the arrow left the bow Henry turned around and tackled his mother hoping to avoid her getting hit.

Unfortunately, Henry was too late to avoid Regina getting hit altogether, but she wouldn't die from the injury.

Henry quickly looked to his mother to check her for injuries and was horrified to see an arrow sticking out of her shoulder. "I should have known returning to the Enchanted Forest with so many enemies was a mistake." She muttered under her breath.

Regina winced when she tried to push herself into a sitting position against a tree. Seeing what she was trying to do Henry helped her.

"Are you going to be ok?" Henry asked hoping for a positive answer.

"Fine." She winced. "Only a flesh wound, I've had worse."

"Than an arrow through your shoulder!" Henry exclaimed.

They heard the men cheering, as their leader hit their target. That was the last straw for Henry, he smiled at his wounded mother and turned to face the merry men.

"What the hell's wrong with you, my mom was defenceless and you all tried to kill her."

"Henry!" she shouted. "Stop, that isn't necessary we need to find Emma and Mary Margaret!"

"Wait, Cora doesn't have any children!" the leader of the band spoke.

Regina smirked, "Now that's where you are wrong, Cora is my mother and I can assure you will not bring her down with sticks."

"Worked for you didn't it?" the fat one remarked.

"I have been living in the land without magic for 28 years, which means I couldn't use magic until Rumple cast the spell and brought it to Storybrooke. Besides, my mother is almost 30 years older than me."

 **Back in Wonderland**

Anastasia was bored and decided to check up on Regina and she was disgusted to see what a couple of hours in the Enchanted Forest did to her. She was weak, pale and had an arrow sticking out of her shoulder.

The white rabbit was summoned immediately. Will was in charge until her return and she travelled through the portal to help her friend.

As she jumped through the portal she ran to her friend's side to help her.

"Ana" Regina moaned in pain. "You shouldn't have left Wonderland for me."

"We were best friends before we went our separate ways, and I would hope that, that hasn't changed!" Anastasia was cross, her friend thought that she wasn't worth the effort.

"Help her, please!" Henry begged from behind Ana.

"I can heal myself, but I can't reach the arrow to get it out." Regina moaned in pain again.

"Are you in pain Regina?" she asked.

Before she had a chance to answer Henry told her about how a couple of minutes ago, she couldn't even pull herself off the ground.

"There's nothing to numb the pain, just do it." Regina breathed.

"Nothing a little magic can't help"

"No!" Robin (the leader) protested to magic. "Magic is dangerous and shouldn't be used, our camp is nearby and we have what you need there."

"What do you care, you're the one who shot her in the first place." Henry said with venom in his voice.

"It was a mistake that I would like to try and fix." He smiled.

Regina looked deep into his eyes and saw he was telling the truth. "What other choice do we have, my castle is another 30 minute walk and transporting with an arrow in my shoulder is risky."

"The camp is five minutes from here, let's go." Robin led the way.

Henry and Ana helped Regina get to her feet and they walked over together. When they arrived Henry and Ana never left Regina's side, apart from when the entire camp left to hunt for food and collect fire wood. Robin arrived back early wanting to talk to the queen alone.

He entered the tent, and he saw that she was asleep. A couple of seconds later a smirk crossed her face and without opening her eyes, she said "I'm trying to sleep, if you don't mind."

"I'm sorry, if I couldn't help myself, it's just up until now I never noticed how beautiful you really are."

Regina opened her eyes and continued to smile. "Flattery won't get you anywhere with me. Cora maybe my mother, but I can't blame anyone for wanting her dead. As I do more than most of her enemies."

Robin was shocked to hear this. "Why? What could she have possibly done to hurt you so much?"

She took a deep breath and answered "She killed him. Daniel. He was my first love. I was 17 and she ripped his heart out and crushed it right in front of me, he died in my arms." She felt a single tear fall down her cheek, until he wiped it away.

"I understand the feeling, my wife Marion died in my arms while giving birth to my son, Roland."

"I'm sorry." She said, feeling the same pain that he did.

"It's ok, it's kind of nice talking to someone who understands the feeling." Feeling the need to change the subject, he started talking about Regina in a good way which was new to her. "I meant what I said, you know. You are the most beautiful woman, I've ever seen. You make me feel something that I've never felt before."

Regina was stunned, speechless. She had no idea how to respond to that.

"I know you feel the same way, too. Before you deny it, I should tell you, you can lie but your eyes can't." And with that he left the tent.

After that strange conversation, Regina decided to get a bit more sleep before Henry and Ana returned. She needed to regain as much energy as possible to travel to her castle, cast the spell to find them and most of all she needed to be strong enough to be able to travel across realms, to get home.

She woke up a few hours later to find Henry sitting next to her, watching her, to see if she was showing any signs of pain.

"I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me, it's going to take more than an arrow to take down the Evil Queen."

"That's not you anymore. You're not a villain, you're my mom." This was the first thing since returning to the Enchanted Forest that made Regina smile.

"Thanks, I've been stuck in this tent for too long, so if you don't mind I'd like to stretch my legs and go for a walk."

Henry nodded in agreement.

As soon as she stepped outside the tent, she was approached by Robin, earning him a scowl from Henry and Ana.

"Henry, it's ok, we've come to an agreement. Besides like I said I've had worse than an arrow in the shoulder."

"Ana thanks for your help, we should get going to my castle. The sooner we find Snow and Emma the sooner we can leave to go back to the town where everyone also wanted me dead."

"If they know that you helped Snow, then they will see past the evil from your past."

"You've been spending too much time with the Charmings. Henry it's not that simple, they all see me as the evil queen. I doubt any amount of good deeds will change that. When the curse first broke and I had nearly every fairy tale character on my doorstep, all any of them wanted was me dead. Their feelings towards me are unlikely to change." Regina spoke truthfully to her son and it hurt how true her own words were.

"Anyway we should head to my castle, we don't know where they are and finding them could take a couple of days."

"I will help you, we have a lot to catch up on." Anastasia beamed at her old friend.

"Really, Ana. That's not necessary."

"5 minutes!" she exclaimed, "you were in the Enchanted Forest for 5 minutes before you were shot with an arrow."

"I haven't used magic or had anyone try to kill me in 28 years. 28 years without using magic, can you blame me for being a bit rusty? A few weeks ago, Rumplestiltskin tried to kill me for someone I kept locked away from him. There are easier ways to kill someone than marking them and sending a wraith to finish them off."

"How the hell did you survive a wraith attack?" Ana screamed.

"The Charmings stunned it and when it came back we sent it through a portal to this land, thinking it was gone. The wraith nearly got me, but the saviour pushed me out of the way and fell through the portal and Snow followed."

"We would like to help as well." Robin said, still feeling guilty.

"I suppose we might need all the help we can get to find them. Let's go."

Regina was walking in the front, followed by Robin, his merry men, with Ana, Henry and Robin's son babbling away.

Robin decide that it was as good a time as any to talk to Regina, ever since he had first looked deep into her eyes, it was like he was in this everlasting trance. There was no doubt in his mind that he was falling for her. He knew about all the stories, but that's all they were to him, stories. This woman standing in front of him was a concerned mother and she definitely wasn't evil. Bold and audacious, perhaps but not evil.

"Your majesty, do you mind the company? It seems my son has dumped me for your son." Robin addressed her.

"I prefer Regina, I haven't been a queen for about 28 years."

"I've heard many stories about the great and terrible evil queen, but from this angle the evil moniker seems like more of an overstatement."

"The name served me well. I want to redeem myself, if it's even possible. I want to change for my son. Look where I'm going, to find Snow White. A woman who I have attempted to kill many times and her daughter. The saviour, who I haven't yet tried to kill, but we have hated each other since we first met. That was before the curse was broken. And worst of all, I'm back in this realm, going to a castle full of nearly every bad memory I have."

Robin just smirked.

"What are you smirking at? Can't you take anything seriously?" The queen snapped.

"I can't help it, I've also heard stories about the queen being irresistible. It's funny how you don't believe something, without seeing it with your own eyes."

"You can stop." She simply answered.

"Stop what?" she was beginning to confuse him.

"You can stop flirting, the fact that I didn't incinerate you should be prove that I'm at least trying to change. I'm not going to kill you."

"It never crossed my mind that you would want to. I am a man of honour, would I lie to you? Some people just can't take a compliment." He huffed.

"Let's just say I have trust issues, when I was 17, I trusted someone with a secret and she couldn't keep it. It was that betrayal that got my fiancé killed and I had to marry the king." Robin brought his thumb up to her cheek to wipe away a tear that Regina didn't even realise had fallen.

"Snow White." He said putting all the pieces together.

"For thief, you're not as stupid as you look. Snow told my mother about Daniel and my mother wanted me to be queen so she tricked me. She ripped out his heart and crushed it in front of me."

"I've never loved again. Never trusted myself to. My mother is still alive and you never know when I will see her again. She's probably here somewhere, I know she's no longer in Wonderland, so she might be trying to find me again."

"Do you think you can love again?" he asked.

"Don't know? My mother always used to say: love is weakness. As much as I would love to deny it, I know she could be right. She also used to say you'll never be happy, you don't know how. I haven't loved anyone since Daniel died, except Henry."

"Can I be honest with you?" he seemed a bit on edge.

"Sure."

"When I'm near you, I feel this strange pull between us. I can't explain it, it's like…"

"Magic?" He nodded.

"Tinkerbell," she murmured "can I see your right wrist."

He willingly rolled up his sleeve giving her a clear very of the lion tattoo that was there.

Her eyes widened at the sight and seeing her back away slightly, he had to ask.

"What? What is it?" he seemed concerned that he had done something wrong.

"It's nothing. If I told you, you would freak out."

"I think I deserve to know what my tattoo means to you?" he was angry at her for keeping things from him about something that connected them together. "It's obviously not nothing, if it was you wouldn't look scared."

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

"Just tell me. You mentioned the name Tinkerbell?"

She sighed realising that she didn't really have much choice, but to tell the story.

"When I was married to the king, I accidently fell off a balcony and would've died."

"Oh God!"

"When I was about to hit the floor Tinkerbell used fairy dust to save me. She thought I jumped because I was so miserable and she wanted to help me. She stole some pixie dust to help me find love again. She led me to this tavern, and there he was the man with the lion tattoo."

"And you think that it was mine."

"I'd recognise it anywhere."

"But I've never met you before today and I've only heard stories."

"About the Great and Terrible Evil Queen." She exaggerated. "Tinkerbell left to give me privacy and then I left, without going in."

"Why?"

"She said that I could let go of all the anger that was weighing me down. But it felt like without that anger I would just float away. That anger was all I had, what would I be without it." He stayed quiet.

She continued. "Weak. Love is weakness. That's what my mother always said to me. That's why she killed, Daniel, my fiancé. If I wasn't so weak, I could've prevented that." She put her arm out in front of him to stop him.

"What?" he kept on walking despite her warnings. He walked past Regina and ended up on his back beside her.

"What was that?" he asked as Ana and Henry made their way towards them.

"Did you really think I was stupid, the Charming's had no magic and look at their castle?" she pointed it out.

"It's destroyed." Henry said.

"Exactly," Anastasia said. "We may have been evil but we have the sense to take precautions before doing something reckless. I always made sure that I had something to bargain with and Regina protected her castle."

"Let me guess, blood lock?" Ana guessed.

"Not with my mother still alive. I'll take it down." She said.

"Yeah, that would be a good idea." Robin said rubbing his head. Ana and Regina couldn't help but laugh and the rest of the group joined in.

"It's a strong spell, it's basically like walking into a brick wall. You'll have a headache for a while. A couple of hours, maybe." Ana estimated and Regina agreed.

They continued on until they came to the castle. As Regina, Ana and Henry led the group through the halls of the castle Regina advised everyone not to touch anything, because a lot of things could be magical or protected.

"Regina." Ana said as Regina stopped in front of a door.

"This was the King's room." She responded quietly.

"It's ok, where's this object of Snow's?" Ana asked sympathetically.

"In her old room, once Snow and the King were gone, I never set foot in either of their rooms again." She said as she walked past the king's room to his daughter's room. She was in and out in seconds. It was obvious to Ana and apparently Robin, that she didn't want to spend any more time in there, than she had to.

Then she led everyone to a ball room. "Right we've got everything we need, but Henry you have to stay here."

"But, Mom!" he protested, as she had predicted.

"No. My mother still roams the lands here. She's powerful and at least in here you're safe. No one can get in, not even her."

"But," Henry still protested.

She interrupted him. "Henry, do you trust me and more importantly you do know that if you come Ms Swan will kill me?"

"Yeah, she wouldn't be happy. While Storybrooke was under the curse and I snuck out, she said 'If we don't get you back home your mom will kill me, then you, then me again.'"

This made Regina smirk, she was probably right.

"I'm sure Emma would at least try to kill me. There's been many attempts, with help from Emma and your grandparents, I even escaed the dark one trying to kill me. The only reason he didn't try again was Belle."

"I'll stay." He huffed.

"Ana I need to talk to you." Ana and Regina left the room, they were gone for about five minutes before Regina re-entered the room alone.

"Where's the other queen?" one of Robin's men asked.

"I needed her help with something, it's sorted." She dismissed.

"We need a plan." Robin said, looking directly at Regina.

"I'm the Evil Queen, I always have a plan." Regina said.

"You're not evil anymore." Henry smiled.

"Nothing can change what I've done, Henry. I will never forgot or forgive what my mother did to me and I don't expect others to forgive me." She smiled at the fact that her son thought that she could be redeemed.

"Alright, my plan is to first find Emma and Snow with their things. We just better hope that we don't bump into my mother. If we do I will deal with her."

"You can't face her alone." Henry chimed in.

"My mother will just unarm anyone with weapons and she may use them against us. She won't be happy to see me, the last time I saw her was when she returned from Wonderland, before the curse. Let's just say, there was a lot of arguing and fighting, but I don't know what she expected. She came back and turned up at Daniel's grave, years after killing him."

"Bring weapons in case?" Robin questioned her.

"If you wish." She sighed, she simply wanted to go home and probably sleep in a jail cell. It was nearly night time. "We should get some sleep, before going after Emma and Snow. Besides Ana needs time to get back to help" She ordered, like the queen she was.

She walked out of the room, followed by the outlaw. She heard footsteps behind her. "Go away outlaw!" she exclaimed. But the footsteps didn't stop, in face she could hear the footsteps getting closer. She quickly turned around and before she could even think about reacting, the thief's lips were on hers. His hands found her waist, the kiss started slow, but it soon became more, she could feel the kiss becoming passionate. His tongue started to push against her lips and without thinking she granted his wish. They only broke apart for air and Robin smiled. He whispered faintly in her ear "Are you sure you want me to go away?" he flirted.

"You're just doing this because of what I told you." She replied.

"I felt it before, talking to you was so easy and being around you feels… comfortable. I couldn't explain it before you told me." He smirked getting lost in the depth of her eyes. "Now." He said pushing her against the wall, "How do I know that you didn't only kiss back because of what Tinkerbell told you." He smiled turning her question back to her.

"I'm the Evil Queen, I don't listen to anyone. Not anymore. Not after what my mother did." She looked away when she spoke of her mother, Robin realised that it must be a sore subject for her, so he avoided it.

"Are you really going to take on your mother?" he asked, changing the subject while she was still pinned to the wall.

"I have to. Only Ana and I have magic and trust me, magic is the only way my mother's going down. I once sent Hook to kill her, but he betrayed me and joined her side. If you want something done, you have to do it yourself. I don't expect you to understand."

"I do, it's your lives or hers." He said.

"Something like that." She responded.

"I like you like this, calm and talkative." He changed the subject again, getting the focus back to them, standing in one of the many corridors in Regina's castle. He kissed her again, this time he moaned into her mouth and Regina grinned. Impressed that she made him do that.

She whispered seductively into his ear "Can I go to sleep now or are you going to keep me up all night?"

He couldn't help smirking "Can I escort you to your room?" he held his arm out for her to take and she took it. Then she poofed them both outside her room.

"I must say, you've intrigued me more than any woman, I've ever met. I'd like to learn more."

"Ah ah." She shook her finger slowly. "You see Robin, you know a lot about me." He loved the way his name rolled off her tongue. "But, I don't really know much about you, apart from the assassination attempt." She smirked.

"First of all, I'm sorry about that and second what do you want to know."

She led him into her room and they sat down on two comfy chairs and they talked about anything and everything. But she never mentioned her first love and her hatred towards her mother, it was just too painful.

Eventually they both fell asleep and in the morning, the outlaw was the first to wake. He noticed that even in sleep, she was beautiful. Regina felt his eyes staring at her.

"Do you mind? I have a queen to defeat." She said as she opened her eyes to Robin's confused look.

"A queen?"

"Oh, didn't I mention, my mother is the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland."

"Oh." He understood.

Regina poofed them both downstairs where the rest of the castle had already regrouped to confirm the plan. After everyone was caught up. They sat in the main hall and ate for the big day ahead of them. Regina avoided eye contact with Robin. And an hour after that they left.

It was said that Friar Tuck would stay with Henry and Roland at Regina's castle, while everyone else followed the items to a hole in the ground, a jail.

"We have to get back, I don't trust Regina alone with Henry." Emma said.

"Really Ms Swan that hurts my feelings, especially since I'm in the Enchanted Forest to find you." Regina appeared in a puff of smoke in front of Emma and Snow. Then she quickly disappeared in another puff of smoke, along with Emma and Snow.

"Regina, how… what?" Snow stumbled over her words.

"I'll explain later, go to the castle Henry's there. Before you say anything Ms Swan, Henry triggered a portal in Gold's shop that took us to Wonderland and I can explain this later. My mother must have known something like this was going to happen. I could feel it, she has her magic. Run, now."

She turned around, face to face with her mother. Regina was caught off guard and her mother sent her into a tree. Some of the merry men were there to escort Mary Margaret and Emma to the castle and some were Regina's backup. But soon they all became backup, when Snow refused to leave Regina to fight her own mother.

"We have to help her Emma, she saved us from Cora." Emma nodded in agreement with Snow.

Merry men were getting flung around like dolls and Cora tried to take Snow's heart just to rub it in Regina's face. Fortunately for Snow, Emma stepped in and they all discovered she had magic. After seeing all this, a boy turned up behind Cora.

"Mom?" it was Henry, he'd ditched the castle and must had followed them.

"Henry!" Emma exclaimed in shock.

"So," Cora said "This is Henry. Regina's last pride and joy."

At that minute 7 archers took a shot at Cora and using her magic, Cora changed the target.

"No!" Emma and Mary Margaret screamed. Regina, however, took action.

She disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. She swiftly appearing in front of Henry and blocked every arrow expect one. It went into the same shoulder as a couple of days ago. Before anyone else could get in Cora's line of fire. Regina put up a barrier around herself and Cora to keep everyone else out of the way.

Regina quickly pulled the arrow out of her arm and healed it before Cora had a chance to do anything else.

"You've become weaker, than when I last saw you. You never learn. Love is weakness. Look where your love for the stable boy got you." She smiled looking at the anger rising in Regina's face.

"I loved him. You didn't have to kill him, what did he ever do to you?" she screamed, losing her temper.

"He tried to take you away from me, away from your chance to be queen."

Regina forgot all about their audience. "I never wanted to be queen, and I went willingly. You drove me away. Like you did with both of us. She ran away when she was ten, lucky she was adopted."

"I only cared about you, you were my only chance to become royalty." She looked down at Regina still of the floor.

"I never loved the king, my life we miserable. My only way out was Daniel and you took him from me." She stood up.

"You know Regina. I did everything for you, but you still don't understand. Love Is Weakness. The way you saved your son, he is your weakness." She pinned Regina to the ground with magic and plunged her hand into Regina's chest. She was so shocked that her heart wasn't there, that she accidently undid the spell pinning Regina to the ground.

"If there's one thing I learnt from you, it's not to keep your heart where everyone else's is." Regina smirked and blasted her mother with magic. Cora landed on her back. Regina lifted her up with magic.

"Do you remember this mother, oh wait you don't know what it feels like to be powerless, floating in the air. That was me."

Cora managed to summon enough magic to lift Regina up by her neck.

"Now, Ana!" she choked.

"Anastasia, you found her." Cora was once again shocked by her daughter.

"Yes, she did, Mother. Oh, Mother, does this look familiar to you. It should I found it in your vault. You know, as much as I hate to do this it has to be done." She squeezed the heart to ash.

Regina fell to the ground and she dropped her hold on her mother as well. Then Regina waved her hand above Cora's body. Ana lowered the barrier as Regina was quite weak.

She ran to her sister. "Regina we did it, your plan worked." Ana helped Regina stand properly.

"Where's Cora?" Snow was concerned about Cora.

"Oh, I'm fine thanks for asking. She's dead, I moved her to our family crypt."

"Snow, do you know your way to the castle, she can barely walk, I can use magic to get us back, but only us two, I'm afraid."

"Yes, I remember the way. I'm sorry, Regina. This shouldn't have happened to you." Snow responded to Regina's earlier sarcastic comment.

"She's my mother about time we had that nice chat."

With that Ana and Regina disappeared. They appeared in the middle of the hall where Henry, Emma, Roland and some merry men were. Regina's knees buckled under her.

"Mom!" Henry ran to her side.

"I'm fine."

"You just left, what about everyone else. They don't have magic. The rest of us matter too you know. Wh..." Emma shouted.

"Cora's dead." Anastasia cut Emma off.

"What?!" Emma was surprised by this news.

"It was Regina's plan all along. Get everyone else out the way, when she couldn't get anyone to leave, she used a barrier spell. And while she risked her life distracting Cora, she sent me to our mother's vault to get her heart. And I killed her to save Regina. We were only going to use it as leverage, unless someone else's life was at risk."

"I'm sorry, I doubted you." Emma quietly apologised to Regina, who was kneeling on the floor.

"Help me get her onto a chair." Ana instructed Emma. She did as she was told.

"Wait, did you say, you two were sisters." Emma finally asked.

"Yes, Regina's two years older than me. We got separated as children when I was ten, I ran away and was adopted. Regina and I met years later and she told me about what our mother did to her. About a year after that I ran away with Will and the rest is complicated."

"But, now you're married to him and are queen of Wonderland." Emma summed up.

"Technically, yeah." Ana agreed.

"Before I left with Will, Regina gave me half her compact mirror, so that we could communicate." Ana continued.

"We only had each other when we were evil, no one else could even begin to understand us. Even now, I have Will, I know that Regina is the only one who truly understands me," Regina squeezed her hand in agreement.

""


End file.
